New buyer looking for approx 1 carat round

[boston2013]

Hi all,

I am new to your forum and hoping you can all help me out a little bit as I am trying to figure out all there is to know about buying a diamond! I am hopeful to spend around $6,000 (or less hopefully) on the stone alone and will likely go with setting #2 below and ask them round out the square halo on the edges so it's a rounded square and put in a ROUND stone as opposed to princess cut. What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

SETTING:
#1 http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-pave-halo-shoulders-engagement-ring-round-center-item-17514
#2 http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-pave-halo-shoulders-engagement-ring-princess-center-item-17487

I am looking at James Allen and found some pretty nice round center stones, but am hopeful you guys can give me some pointers on questions I might NOT be asking of the salespeople there.

Do I need to ask for any additional images than what is shown online on the website?

Also, there is one GIA stone I found that I really like that has no laser inscription on the GIA report and asked the saleslady about it and she said not all diamonds are laser inscribed. Is that true? Should they be?

Thanks, in advance, for any help you all can give me!!

 

[jramy278]

Hi boston! I don't have the expertise to comment on your settings so I'll leave that to the others. As to your other questions, I believe you can pick up to 3 stones on James Allen and they will give you Ideal Scope images as well as gemologist recommendations on these 3. GIA produces 2 types of reports -1) a diamond dossier (typically for stones <1 carat) - these diamonds have the GIA # laser inscribed on the girdle, and 2) a grading report - these diamonds typically do not have the GIA # inscribed. I believe you can pay to have your stone sent to GIA and inscribed later if you wish to. Good luck!

 

[ecf8503]

Pick 3 stones then ask for idealscope images and gemologist review on them. Use the HCA to weed out poor performers (under 2 is desirable). Don NOT compromise on cut quality - it's what makes the stone sparkle! What color / carat range are you looking for?

 

[boston2013]

Thanks for your quick response jramy - what is the GIA report that I can click on when I go to one of the stone's page such as right here: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.96-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-262443?? As you can see, the laser inscription is included on this report. Is this the gemologist recommendation or grading report or is that something else entirely?

 

[jramy278]

This is a grading report (as it says on the certificate). You will need to ask someone at JA to check if it has been inscribed or not specifically. This is the report issued by GIA; the gemologist recommendation comes from JA, not GIA.

 

[ecf8503]

Thanks for your quick response jramy - what is the GIA report that I can click on when I go to one of the stone's page such as right here: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.96-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-262443??? As you can see, the laser inscription is included on this report. Is this the gemologist recommendation or grading report or is that something else entirely?

This stone has potential - and it scores 0.6 on the HCA. Ask for the gemologists opinion on it, and pick 2 more to compare it against.

Why are you so concerned with the laser inscription? Concentrate on cut quality.

 

[boston2013]

"Thanks ecf! Sorry, but VERY new…what is HCA? As far as cut, I am looking for something with width following parameters: Depth 59-61.8
Table Diameter 53-57.5
Crown angle: 33-34.5%
Pavilion depth: 42.8-43.2
No extremely thin girdle.
Range of .95-1.1 carat, color G/H/I, clarity down to SI2. What do you think? I want best bang for my buck, as I am sure we all do!
"

 

[boston2013]

Is the point of gemologists recommendation just to help me choose between my top 3 stones?

 

[Stephny691]

The HCA is the Holloway Cut Advisor.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

When you find a diamond you like, you take it's measurements input them into the above and if the result is less than 2, you've got a contender. It's used as a rejection tool, NOT a selection tool. So reject anything scoring over 2, get more information on anything less than 2.

Hope that helps!

 

[boston2013]

Re:
This stone has potential - and it scores 0.6 on the HCA. Ask for the gemologists opinion on it, and pick 2 more to compare it against.

Why are you so concerned with the laser inscription? Concentrate on cut quality.
----
Just thought the inscription made it more 'legit' somehow. When I put in stone http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.01-carat-h-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-249366?a_aid=dmnd1357&chan=x I get an HCA of 0.7; am I doing it right?

 

[boston2013]

Sorry never mind - was looking at the wrong stone!

 

[boston2013]

I asked for gemologist rec's and Idealscope images for my top three choices.
Is it ok to share them here on the site for help in choosing?

Aside from cut/brilliance/etc etc as those are the main things I am looking at - is anyone CONCERNED if I go with one of the stones that doesn't have a laser inscription registry? Does that mean it's more difficult to track and/or compare the GIA report against whatever a local jeweler says?

Would you all suggest bringing the ring once I get it to a local jeweler for their valuation? Are those visits free of charge? Anything else I should be thinking of here as I continue this process?

 

[ecf8503]

[quote="clarasohxx|1383747275|3551552"
I think its better for you to choose another stone with laser as there are plenty of them.[/quote]

Why?????????? If the OP wants it to have a laser inscription I believe it can be sent back to GIA for engraving. No big deal - definitely not a deal BREAKER.

OP - most local jewelers will downplay the stone you bought online in an attempt to sell you a stone themselves. If you want validation, take it to an INDEPENDENT appraiser - not associated with a jewelry store - https://www.pricescope.com/appraisers

 

[boston2013]

Heard back on three diamonds - please see attached IdealScope imaging and let me know your thoughts on which I should move ahead with. They are all right around the same price.

Let me know if you need any other info - happy to share with everyone and thank you again in advance!!.

 

[boston2013]

To give a few more details on stones:
Stone specs (GIA report) are as follows:

249366
Carat: 1.01
Color: H
Clarity: SI2
Table diameter: 56%
Depth: 61%
Crown Angle: 33
Pavilion: 40.8
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Flourescence: Faint
Cost: $5,680

262445
Carat: 1.01
Color: H
Clarity: SI2
Table diameter: 56%
Depth: 61%
Crown Angle: 33
Pavilion: 40.8
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Flourescence: Faint
Cost: $5,680

262443
Carat: 0.96
Color: G
Clarity: SI1
Table diameter: 55%
Depth: 61.2%
Crown Angle: 34.0
Pavilion: 40.6
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very good
Flourescence: None
Cost: $5,310